Luck
by Wanderintherain
Summary: Ludwig is trying to fix his economy after the second world war and it's going to take a miracle. Luckily, Alfred is there to help. Loosely historical.


He's been working for months now, pouring over the papers that needed to be looked over, signed, altered, reviewed, and mailed. There were so many things that needed to be done, now that the war was over. So many things to do, and Ludwig was so tired. So tired after the war. It was almost like before, he was getting pushed to the limit with all of this. His cities were renamed when they went to the Soviets, and they needed to rebuild the towns that were practically ran over into the dirt by tanks. He let his head drop and his hands sunk into his slicked back hair, the stress was overwhelming after the hell he had been put through.

A hand fell on his shoulder and he looked up.

"Hey don't look so glum, it's all gonna turn out okay in the end!" There was Alfred, cheering him on again. The man was a new presence in his life. He decided he needed to step in and help after the war. Like some sort of hero.

Ludwig didn't think he needed saving, "This isn't some sort of movie, Alfred," he started with a sigh, "Happy endings don't just appear out of thin air."

"Yeah they do. I got out of my depression, and you're gonna get out of yours," Ludwig caught a strange look in Alfred's eyes, but he ignored it. Even with the American's uplifting words, his financial situation was bleak.

His ribs still hurt from the last stand in Berlin.

He needed a miracle to get out of this. Alfred _was_ kind of like a miracle. Right after defeating Ludwig in battle, he offered a hand to get right back up on his feet. That was something special that he hadn't seen before. That was strength.

Ludwig admired that.

He was glad that Alfred was there, even if he wasn't showing it. He needed someone to stop by and stop him from running himself into the ground.

"It was luck that you got out of your depression," Ludwig grumbled and leaned back in his chair, taking a small break from the massive amount of work in front of him.

Alfred waved a hand, "It was hard work," the look in his eye came back as he put a hand on Ludwig's desk and bent over to look at what he was working on, "But maybe there _was_ a bit of luck to it."

Ludwig looked up at him again, with a raised eyebrow, expecting an explanation.

"Got it from England you know. Magic. It rubs off on you," Alfred added a sly smile to the end of the sentence and Ludwig gave him a glare in return. Was he seriously coming onto him at a time like this? For once Alfred could sense his mood and he shook his head, "You know I'm just kidding right?"

"Right," Ludwig responded.

"Right," the smile never left Alfred's face, "Cause it doesn't come off with rubbing, you only get a bit of luck from a kiss."

Ludwig's glare remained intact. He must be joking. Ludwig knew that Alfred was bullshitting him, and by Alfred's blush and sheepish smile, Ludwig could tell that Alfred knew he knew too.

He let it go and remained silent, then Alfred's hand finally slid from his shoulder and went to the papers on the desk again. The man seemed a little disappointed, and in turn Ludwig felt guilty. When everyone else had turned their back on him, there was Alfred, ready to be there whenever he needed, day or night.

Alfred's presence was a good luck charm in itself. He could tell that the man was going to help him in the end. He was absolutely determined to succeed and exceed expectations in everything he did, like an unstoppable rocket. Alfred was interesting. He recalled how he bounced right back from his own economic downturn. He bounced back and turned into something marvelous. Even though he had problems of his own after the war, namely the Soviets, here he was helping him pour over budgets, damage assessments, and financial reports.

Economic struggle got Ludwig pressured into two wars, this was Alfred's way of preventing that from happening again. They had the same agenda.

War had really worn Ludwig down, he felt tired all the time, pushed to his limit. Alfred's help was appreciated greatly. For once in his life, someone was really helping him. Pushing along with the same amount of force instead of distracting him or holding him back.

He gave Alfred a second glance, this one definitely not has hard as the first. Alfred was… Inspiring. The last thing Ludwig wanted was for him to feel rejected. He respected the man, and that was turning into fondness. Maybe he could at least humor him, or maybe there was something to Alfred's luck after all. Maybe that charm was starting to work on him.

Ludwig stood suddenly, and Alfred stepped back, assuming he was getting up to leave.

"Wanna go for a beer?"

"No," Ludwig's eyes slid down to Alfred's lips.

He took Alfred's arm and brought him forward as he leaned down to bring their lips together. The room seemed much quieter, more relaxed now that they were close together. The stress from before was melting away. Ludwig slowly pulled back.

"Feelin' lucky yet?" Alfred asked, voice low and playful.

For the first time in several years, a small smile slowly slid across Ludwig's lips.


End file.
